Cleveland Catch Up

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

Cleveland singer voted off “The Voice”

After qualifying for the final 12 of NBC’s singing competition “The Voice,” Cleveland native D.R. King was eliminated and sent home, according to Cleveland.com.

After an audience vote, King placed in the bottom two along with fellow contestant Rayshun LaMarr. The two battled it out in a one-on-one sing-off, but King’s rendition of the Temptation’s “Papa was a Rolling Stone” was no match compared to LaMarr’s take on “I Can’t Stand the Rain” by Tina Turner.

LaMarr brought the judges and audience members to a standing ovation, while King, a former music teacher, struggled to win over the crowd. In the end, it was up to viewers, and King was sent home.

Man driving from liquor store fatally shot

According to Cleveland.com, a 27-year-old man was fatally shot in Cleveland’s Euclid-Green neighborhood on Tuesday night while driving from the Green Lite Beverage liquor store.

Police reported that Ashtin Williams engaged in an argument with the gunman in the store’s parking lot. He began driving away with a woman in his vehicle, and then, according to the report, the gunman reached for a rifle and shot Williams through the window.

The bullet hit Williams in the chest. He drove roughly half a mile west on Euclid before calling 911 and was pronounced dead on the scene, according to police.

Williams was convicted of murder and released from prison in December after serving a nine-year sentence.

No arrests, however, have been made in this case.

Cuyahoga County announces new criminal justice reforms

On Tuesday, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor and top judge revealed two new criminal justice reforms, as reported by Cleveland.com.

Prosecutor Michael O’Malley along with Common Pleas Court Administrative and Presiding Judge John J. Russo spoke to an audience packed in the historic St. John AME Church in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. The event was part of the a series of “actions,” according to Cleveland.com, which serve as a public progress report based on pledges made at previous congregational meetings with various leaders to enact reforms which target mass incarceration and equality in the criminal justice system.

The two announced the court’s goal to place a fourth drug court for high-risk defendants caught with the possession of drugs, and also to establish a docket for underage offenders caught with guns.

While the court has three standing specialized drug courts, Russo and O’Malley argued that a fourth would expand the services of drug courts by providing access to long-term treatment, more active caseworkers and other features.

Meanwhile, the specialized docket would serve 18- and 21-year-olds who are too young to obtain a concealed carry permit but are caught with weapons because they feel endangered in their own neighborhood. The docket is meant to help these individuals avoid felony records at an early age and prevent future trouble.

According to Cleveland.com, O’Malley and Russo agreed to give the same audience a 90-day report on their progress.

In an effort to promote dialogue and the sharing of ideas, The Observer encourages members of the university community to respectfully voice their comments below. Comments that fail to meet the standards of respect and mutual tolerance will be removed as necessary.